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New York Times
May 5 2012
Armenia: Rally Balloons Explode
Scores of people were hurt in Yerevan, the capital, on Friday when
gas-filled balloons exploded in a huge ball of flames at a campaign
rally for Armenia's Republican Party ahead of parliamentary elections
on Sunday. More than 60 people, including children, were hospitalized
after the explosion, and photographs showed bystanders fleeing as
flames shot up in a crowded square. The Emergencies Ministry said 144
people had been injured; some were burned and others were hurt during
the panic after the explosion. No deaths were reported. Nikolai
Grigoryan, the deputy director of Armenia's rescue service, told the
Novosti Armenia news agency that the balloons had been filled with
helium and were ignited by a bystander's cigarette. However, helium is
an inert gas that does not burn.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/05/world/europe/armenia-rally-balloons-explode-at-campaign-rally.html
May 5 2012
Armenia: Rally Balloons Explode
Scores of people were hurt in Yerevan, the capital, on Friday when
gas-filled balloons exploded in a huge ball of flames at a campaign
rally for Armenia's Republican Party ahead of parliamentary elections
on Sunday. More than 60 people, including children, were hospitalized
after the explosion, and photographs showed bystanders fleeing as
flames shot up in a crowded square. The Emergencies Ministry said 144
people had been injured; some were burned and others were hurt during
the panic after the explosion. No deaths were reported. Nikolai
Grigoryan, the deputy director of Armenia's rescue service, told the
Novosti Armenia news agency that the balloons had been filled with
helium and were ignited by a bystander's cigarette. However, helium is
an inert gas that does not burn.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/05/world/europe/armenia-rally-balloons-explode-at-campaign-rally.html